A review by tevreads
Quichotte by Salman Rushdie
5.0
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2019, this novel was simply incredible. If this style is distinctive to Rushdie, I will have to read more of his works, because I loved it.
_________
Quichotte has a distinct flavour to it that is conversational yet sharp, witty yet thought-provoking, absurd yet painfully real. It reminded me of one of my favourite novels, The Sellout, of how some authors can write so eloquently about the society we live in. Although Rushdie stretches the boundaries of our world through hysterical realism, the satire is sharp and at times unsettling. Have I finally found a novel that can deal with social media and technology in a way that doesn't seem completely out of place? It would seem so.
_________
To not give the story away, the structure and narrative is peculiar yet addictive. When I got through the first couple chapters I already knew I would love this book, but then the different characters and perspectives that are introduced had me transfixed. This is an epic tale, a homage to Cervantes' Don Quixote placed firmly in a 21st century context that seems so hard to encapsulate in a story, but Rushdie seems to manage to do so. The current America is exposed here as one of natural disasters, opiod crises, gun violence, and populist leaders. Rushdie has perhaps provided the satire of America needed in these turbulent times, it's a novel that deserves to be remembered as such.
_________
Quichotte has a distinct flavour to it that is conversational yet sharp, witty yet thought-provoking, absurd yet painfully real. It reminded me of one of my favourite novels, The Sellout, of how some authors can write so eloquently about the society we live in. Although Rushdie stretches the boundaries of our world through hysterical realism, the satire is sharp and at times unsettling. Have I finally found a novel that can deal with social media and technology in a way that doesn't seem completely out of place? It would seem so.
_________
To not give the story away, the structure and narrative is peculiar yet addictive. When I got through the first couple chapters I already knew I would love this book, but then the different characters and perspectives that are introduced had me transfixed. This is an epic tale, a homage to Cervantes' Don Quixote placed firmly in a 21st century context that seems so hard to encapsulate in a story, but Rushdie seems to manage to do so. The current America is exposed here as one of natural disasters, opiod crises, gun violence, and populist leaders. Rushdie has perhaps provided the satire of America needed in these turbulent times, it's a novel that deserves to be remembered as such.